


Friendship Tsunami

by BeeAnka



Series: Sing Me A Song Of Despair Side Stories: Friends [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Friendship, Gen, I won't always tag Ikuzono and only did it the first time because I wanted it to be the first tag, Ikuzono is only implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 21:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13622211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeAnka/pseuds/BeeAnka
Summary: When Aoi wants to help a downtrodden Sayaka out, she discovers that her usual method of confronting the problem head-on might not always be the best solution.





	Friendship Tsunami

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I wrote that made me seriously consider the Ratings. Like, I thought maybe I'd rate this G since nothing deserving of a higher Rating happens, but then I was like... Hm. Doesn't feel right. I'm not really sure how Ratings work here either, to be honest. I'm just gonna use M for stuff that has too much violence or too many sexual themes (not that I expect the latter to ever be a thing) and T for everything else. I'm pretty sure E is just used for erotica and I'm really confused where the line between G and T is. T is for things that have like... both stuff like abuse or violence, but not overtly so maybe? I have no idea!
> 
> Anyway! Here's the second installment of this series. Writing Asahina's POV was a lot of fun, I gotta say. This story takes place during 'Contralto' and I guess also early 'Adagio'.

* * *

 

Aoi is not a morning person.

Which is probably a bad quality for an athlete to have, but then she's eating too many doughnuts even though she's not supposed to too and that hasn't stopped her from being the Ultimate Swimmer.

She loves that title. Yuta was so jealous of her... she almost felt a bit bad for him! Until she realized how cool Hope's Peak Academy would be anyway! Such a big, spacious pool she can swim in every day? And the teachers want her to do it too because of her talent? Along with a gym equipped with everything an aspiring athlete needs?

She couldn't have agreed fast enough. Shame that they still have math in this school though...

And there's the other Ultimates. She was really curious what they were all gonna be like and looked forward to meeting them. And they're all certainly... very colorful people! She likes to think she's good at getting along with everyone, but some of these other Ultimates aren't really what she'd call nice. Togami is obviously a big jerk. How is being rich a talent anyway? Fukawa's made some weird comments about her, so she's mostly trying to avoid her. And while Celes isn't mean or anything, Aoi feels she's treated like an idiot whenever she tries to talk to the other girl.

That one time Aoi's tried talking to Fujisaki and asked her to come swim with her, the latter almost fainted she's pretty sure. She still feels kinda awkward about that, so she's been trying to avoid talking to her. That girl doesn't seem to respond well to lively people like her in general, which sucks. Fujisaki actually has a super cool talent and Aoi wouldn't mind chatting with her about it, even though she probably wouldn't understand a word. There's just something about cute, shy girls that makes her want to get them to be less shy... somehow. She tends to make them uncomfortable with it -- even though she really doesn't mean to do that! It just happens!

She's not a big fan of macho guys like Leon or Oowada, but they're both more or less okay. Motorbikes are actually pretty cool -- she wouldn't mind riding one sometime. She tried asking Oowada about that, but he mostly just started ranting about how cool his gang is. She likes to think they've bonded anyway! Leon is an athlete himself and nice enough, but she can't really respect someone who treats his talent like it's annoying to him. She can't imagine thinking of swimming that way!

Like... Yamada may be kind of a weirdo, but she can at least respect him for having so much passion for his talent. The same is true for Ishimaru. Yeah, his whole rule enforcing thing is kinda annoying, but it's his talent. Aoi doesn't blame him for being so strict because of that, even if it sucks for her sometimes.

Someone like Naegi is almost refreshing for just being a nice, normal guy without any weird quirks. Sure, his talent is obviously not real -- there's no way luck is a real talent -- but then so is Hagakure's and no one makes fun of him for that either. Except Togami, but then he does that with everyone. Aoi doesn't know a whole lot about that spiritual stuff, but there's no way fortune telling is actually a real thing. If she believed in that, she might as well believe in ghosts!

She immediately got along with Sayaka and Junko when school started, since they're both social and always in a good mood just like her. They both love their talents and invest a lot of work in them too, so she has a lot of respect for them. And once they've actually spoken one time, she quickly became friends with Sakura as well. Sure, Sakura looks kinda intimidating at first -- not that Aoi was ever intimidated -- but she's actually really nice and cool. And smart too!

Aoi always thought most athletes were kinda dumb. Not that she thinks she's dumb herself or anything, but... well, she isn't a genius or anything. Sakura is totally an argument against that stereotype though! Not that she'd say her friend is a genius or anything, but she's smart! Just not genius-level smart! That would be Kirigiri. Aoi has never really talked to the quiet girl, because honestly... she's just kinda intimidating. Not just fake-intimidating like Sakura. If the rumors are true, she's the Ultimate Detective. That sounds like a pretty cool talent.

Aoi's been trying to get over her reservations though, asking Kirigiri about random stuff whenever she's struggling to find an answer for something. Kirigiri pretty much always has the right answer ready too, and doesn't seem annoyed at being asked all that stuff. Aoi feels they've grown a bit closer through that, but she wouldn't call them friends yet.

She wants to break the stereotype that loud and quiet girls can't get along with each other! If it even is a stereotype... she isn't sure, but it seems like it would be!

It looks like Sayaka's done that before her though, with Ikusaba.

Ikusaba is someone Aoi has never spoken to before. She doesn't have anything against the girl, but the constant glare that Ikusaba seems to have on her face just doesn't look very inviting. Okay, maybe it's not quite a glare, but it comes close enough. Aoi doesn't get scared easily, but... she just feels there's something wrong with that girl.

Based on how Sayaka talks about her though, it sounds like Ikusaba is secretly a total sweetheart. Aoi can't really imagine anything so extreme, but she can admit that Ikusaba might be a bit nicer than she seems at first.

One thing's for sure, the way Sayaka's talking about Ikusaba nearly every morning this week so far has been interesting enough for Aoi to get over her sleepiness. It's just funny to imagine the gloomy looking girl the way Sayaka describes. The whole rumor about Ikusaba being a robot seems more unlikely now -- not that Aoi ever believed it to begin with.

Sure enough, when they both go to class together on Friday morning like always, Ikusaba is the main topic once again. She's almost getting jealous, to be honest, but Sayaka is so happy to be talking about that gloomy girl that Aoi can't _not_ feel happy alongside her friend.

Also it seems like Sayaka finally admitted that Ikusaba may have a single flaw, so that's an interesting new thing to know about.

"She thinks avocado toast is weird?!" Aoi can't believe it. Avocado is one of the best things that exist in the known universe, along with doughnuts and outer space. Whenever she feels like she's been eating too many unhealthy things and wants to eat something healthy instead, avocado is what she picks. It's a serious life saver!

"I know, right?" Sayaka looks like she can't believe it herself. "I made a deal with her though! I offered to teach her how to cook, and if she can make chicken fried rice by herself she has to try it! Then she can't deny its greatness anymore." She giggles. "To be honest though, my intuition says Mukuro-san is gonna be a disaster in the kitchen. I can't wait to see it!"

Embarrassed, Aoi scratches the back her head. "Geez Sayaka-chan, I can't cook either you know?"

"You're invited to my cooking lesson then, Aoi-chan!"

"That'd be cool! I can't wait to meet Ikusaba-chan! Do you think she likes swimming?"

"Well..." Sayaka hums thoughtfully. "Swimming is a great way to keep in shape, right? She's the Ultimate Soldier, so she has to work out. I dunno if swimming is a part of her routine though."

"I bet she's fast though!" Aoi bounces on her heels excitedly. "I really wanna race her! I bet I can convince Miki-sensei to let us swim today!"

"I'd love to watch that race. You couldn't convince Miki-sensei the last dozen times though."

Aoi pouts. "Well, this time I will!" She declares. "Watch me, Sayaka-chan. I'll convince Miki-sensei even if it costs my life! Wait, then I couldn't race..."

Sayaka nods her head sagely. "Right! And if you're dead, who's gonna mooch off of my lunch every day?"

"You're so mean! I eat a lot, 'cuz I need the energy!" Aoi protests, though Sayaka's words do kinda make her feel bad. She feels self-conscious about eating too much sometimes...

"I guess that's true. And you're in perfect shape anyway, Aoi-chan!" Sayaka sighs. "I'm not exactly a slacker either, but I'm still almost jealous. I guess the Ultimate Swimmer having such a great body shouldn't be a surprise though."

"G-Geez..." Aoi feels her face growing warm. Sayaka does that a lot -- it's like she can read her mind sometimes and always proceeds to say something nice to cheer her up. Not wanting her friend to know about her thoughts though, Aoi lets out a nervous laugh. "Are you hitting on me, Sayaka-chan?" She asks.

"Would you mind much?" Sayaka teases. "But no, just stating the obvious."

"You have an amazing body too, you know!" Aoi fires back, wanting to return the favor. "Like, legs for days and all that stuff!"

"Thanks! Are you sure _you're_ not hitting on me?"

"You wish!"

"And yet you were obviously staring at my legs."

"Th-They're part of your body! Of course I look at them!" Aoi stammers. She isn't interested in Sayaka that way -- even if her legs _are_ nice -- but it's still hard to shrug off her friend's teasing. She blinks, suddenly realizing what she's just said. "Wait, that came out wrong!"

They both laugh when they enter class -- well, it's more that Sayaka does and Aoi reluctantly joins in. Sayaka waves to Ikusaba when they walk to their seats, but the latter is too busy going over her notes to see it.

"I think Mukuro-san is in a bad mood." Sayaka says, her eyes firmly on the oblivious Ikusaba.

"Really?" Aoi looks at the girl in question. She can't really read Ikusaba at all though, so it ends up being a pointless effort. "I'm not noticing anything. Maybe she's just stressed out about class?"

"Maybe." Sayaka concedes, but obviously isn't convinced.

During class, Sayaka writes a note and sends it though her, Fujisaki, and Naegi. When it reaches Ikusaba though, the girl doesn't acknowledge its presence at all.

Aoi frowns. It's obvious Ikusaba would see it, so what's her problem? If she didn't want to write anything back, she could at least give Sayaka some kind of signal! And why wouldn't she wanna write back to begin with? That's like... one of the friend rules! Writing notes to each other in class is just a thing that friends do without question! You can't just ignore it!

After class ends, Ikusaba abruptly disappears. While she's gone, Sayaka goes over to her table and removes the note.

"I guess Mukuro-san really _is_ in a bad mood." Sayaka mutters once she's back on her seat.

"Even if she is, she shouldn't just ignore you!" Aoi says in a hushed tone. She's proud she remembered not to be too loud for this -- she often fails when it comes to controlling her voice.

"Mukuro-san is kind of an introvert, I think. We've only just started being friends, so maybe she wants some alone time." Sayaka suggests.

"Even if that's true, she should tell you what the problem is! It's selfish to just do that without caring about your feelings!" Aoi argues, not at all liking the downtrodden look on her friend's face.

"It's not that she doesn't care!" Sayaka says, weirdly defensive. "I bet she just doesn't really think about it. It's fine, I'll just text her later and try to see if she's okay. Um, after classes... I don't wanna annoy her."

"If you think that's for the best." Aoi replies, suppressing the urge to argue more. It's hard not to be pushy about this, but it probably wouldn't help.

Still, since when does Sayaka sound so meek and unsure? Aoi feels anger bubbling up inside of her. How can Ikusaba be so mean? Or thoughtless? Whatever!

During their next class, Aoi's anger slowly grows whenever she looks at Ikusaba, who's just blankly staring forward.

Not even once does that girl spare Sayaka a glance! It's infuriating. And Aoi can think of a new reason for convincing the PE teacher to let them swim today. She really just wants to beat Ikusaba at something and rub it in her stupid, freckled face!

When class ends and PE is next, Aoi starts her nagging and doesn't stop this time. It's for a good cause, after all.

"Half of the class won't even swim!"

Aoi was prepared for that protest though. "But Miki-sensei, is it fair to stop the rest of us from doing swimming just because those guys are all lazy?! And isn't it your job to get everyone to swim?!"

Miki sighs, her fingers going through her short hair. "I guess you're not wrong, Aoi-chan. I'm a failure of a teacher if I can't convince them, aren't I?"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Aoi assures her. Miki is her favorite teacher -- she wouldn't want to hurt her feelings! "You're a great teacher! You're just way too easy on everyone! You gotta like... discipline them better!"

Miki snorts. "Then maybe I should start out with you? It's not appropriate for a student to talk to a teacher in such a familiar way, you know?"

"Aww, come on! I'm treating you like a big sister, 'cuz you... look so young?" Aoi suggests with a lopsided grin.

"You're lucky you're one of my favorites, Aoi-chan! I should be harder on you!" Miki sighs. "I guess you've actually made a good point for once though. And swimming once in a while isn't a bad idea either."

"Awesome! You're the best, Miki-sensei!" Aoi cheers, before blinking. "Hey, whaddaya mean 'for once'?!"

Most of the people in class groan when Miki announces they're going to the pool. Aoi wants to pout -- why can't they see how amazing swimming is? She can at least see why Fujisaki and Fukawa don't want to swim, since they're both obviously shy. But Togami and Celes? They both think they're too good for the pool or something! It's kinda annoying.

Togami even has the nerve to ask if the pool is properly chlorinated and snorts when Aoi tells him it is. As if the Ultimate Swimmer wouldn't know such a thing! It's insulting! The reason Celes gives is more understandable though -- the girl spends so much time on her make-up and all that stuff that it'd be a shame to wash it all away. Still, Junko has a lot of make-up too and she doesn't mind going into the pool! Well, she's complaining as well, but at least she goes in. Not without announcing that everyone who splashes water into her face will meet a brutal demise though.

At least most people actually enter the pool this time, save for Fujisaki, Celes, Fukawa, and Togami. Miki tries to convince them, but it doesn't look like she's making much progress.

The only ones who are actually, seriously swimming are herself, Sakura, Ishimaru, and Ikusaba though. Aoi is kinda annoyed Ikusaba is one of the only people swimming -- it means she can't be as mad at her as she would be otherwise! Still, it's easy to be mad again once she sees Sayaka sneaking occasional glances at the girl.

Sitting on the lifeguard chair to take a quick break -- not that she needs one -- Aoi reluctantly has to admit Ikusaba is kind of impressive. She's pretty fast, is swimming in a very aggressive front crawl, and never seems to lose any speed at all. Aoi isn't the only one looking at her either. Naegi is staring at the scene with a dumbfounded expression. Next to him, Kirigiri is looking at it too, but doesn't seem as impressed as Naegi. Not that Kirigiri ever seems impressed with anything. Junko, on the other hand, has a wide smile on her face as she watches her sister swim. She's probably feeling proud of Ikusaba for being such a good swimmer.

They're all about to see how much better Aoi is!

She takes the whistle around her neck in her mouth and blows on it. When everyone turns to her, startled, she lets out a nervous laugh. "Sorry to interrupt, guys!" She shouts. "I wanna race Ikusaba-chan and didn't know how to get her attention!" She gives the girl a challenging look. "Are you up for that, Ikusaba-chan?!"

"If you want to." Ikusaba answers without hesitation. Does she think she can win? Laughable!

"Great!" Grinning on the inside, Aoi punches her palm with her fist. Ikusaba doesn't know what's about to hit her. She gets inside the water next to Ikusaba and glares at her. "Let's do ten laps!" She suggests. It's pretty much standard as far as races go.

"Fine by me." Ikusaba says, still utterly unbothered. It's like she doesn't know she's about to race the Ultimate Swimmer! Aoi is kinda annoyed that her opponent isn't nervous at all.

Ikusaba needs to know what this is about though. That's why Aoi yells: "Hey, Sayaka-chan! Give the signal!"

"M-Me?!" Sayaka, who's sitting on the pool's edge next to Junko, asks with a surprised expression. "Okay, um... Three. Two. One. Go!"

Aoi always tries her best when it comes to swimming, but this time she's fighting for a noble cause! That's why it feels like she's even faster than usually, the front crawl she's in probably almost resembling her punching the water. There's no way Ikusaba is a match for her. No way, no how!

When she reaches the finish line, so to speak, she immediately turns around to see where Ikusaba is at.

Way behind her.

Aoi lets out a cheer. She knew she'd win of course, but it always feels good anyway. Ikusaba is an entire lap behind her, though that's not actually bad as far as her usual opponents go. Ikusaba is only slightly slower than most professional swimmers she's competed against, which is pretty impressive.

Still, she won't tell that to Ikusaba! That girl deserves to feel bad for how she's been treating Sayaka today! That's why when Ikusaba finishes off her final lap, Aoi is quick to gloat about it. "I kicked your butt!" She more or less yells in her face.

Ikusaba blinks, no trace of annoyance obvious at all. "I didn't expect to win." She says mildly. It's like she didn't even get this was because of Sayaka! Aoi wonders if she was being too subtle.

Before she can retort though, Sayaka interjects. "You were both really fast! It was amazing! I haven't seen anyone give Aoi-chan such a hard time before."

Sayaka is obviously amazed, and while it's true that Ikusaba is impressive, Aoi is kinda annoyed at her friend. Doesn't Sayaka get why she did this? She knows she said stuff about wanting ro race Ikusaba before this, but it's pretty obvious what this was about!

Besides, Ikusaba most certainly did not give her a hard time!

"You have outdone yourself with your performance this time, Asahina." Sakura praises her with a smile. Then her eyes slowly move to the girl still next to her in the water. "Your performance was above my expectations as well, Ikusaba. I would not be able to swim as fast as you."

Aoi wants to be annoyed, but she returns the smile anyway. It's not like Sakura knows about Ikusaba's behavior! It'd be unfair to get mad at her. Some more of her classmates say a bunch of things, but Aoi swims off instead, gesturing Sayaka to follow her.

When they're alone at the other end of the pool, Aoi feels she has to ask the obvious. "Sayaka-chan, why'd you compliment her? Even though she's ignoring you?"

Sayaka sits down at the edge, sinking her legs into the water. "I just... I thought if I made sure she knows I'm not mad at her, she'll talk to me again." She mutters.

"Maybe she'll do it after PE! Ikusaba-chan is kinda shy, right? She'd probably feel better talking to you if it wasn't in front of everyone else." Aoi suggests. She doesn't really believe it, but she's not someone who's pessimistic often, so she just wants to believe Ikusaba will do as she says.

"Maybe you're right." Sayaka says, but it's pretty obvious she doesn't believe it either.

Sure enough, after PE is over, Ikusaba changes back to her school uniform in record time and is gone in a flash.

Gritting her teeth, Aoi asks: "Hey Sayaka-chan, you and Ikusaba-chan ate lunch on the roof yesterday, right?"

Sayaka gives her a curious glance. "Yeah, what about it?"

Aoi doesn't answer her. She's too busy thinking. She doesn't want to put Sayaka on the spot or anything like that, but Ikusaba can't just get away with ignoring her friend like this.

She has to do something!

 

-

 

Aoi scowls, ignoring the way her cheeks are burning from shame.

She really didn't mean to embarrass Sayaka like this, but when she gets angry it sorta becomes difficult to control herself. And Ikusaba just didn't... care! At all! It was infuriating!

She stayed far longer than she was planning on too. She only meant to give Ikusaba a piece of her mind and let Sayaka and her sort it out by themselves, but... then she didn't. She was just too distracted by her own anger! It was Ikusaba's fault, really!

When she's back in the classroom, her eyes immediately lock onto Sakura. She only said she was gonna talk to Sakura as a hasty excuse for leaving, but right now she thinks it's a pretty good idea to do that. Walking over to her friend's seat, Aoi says: "Hey Sakura-chan! Whatcha reading there?"

Sakura looks up from her book. "A political drama. It is very interesting," she answers. "I am sure you would find it to be boring though."

If it was most other people, Aoi would assume they were calling her stupid, but Sakura just says it so matter of factly that it's impossible to think that. "You're probably right!" Aoi agrees. "Politics? Ugh! I just wanna swim!" Not that most other books are much more appealing either. She just doesn't have the attention span for reading long stuff.

Sakura closes her book, her eyes narrowing in concern. "You seem tense about something, Asahina. Is there something on your mind?"

"Geez, how come you can read me so well?" Aoi complains. She scratches her head in embarrassent. "Err, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your reading, but yeah. There's something on my mind."

"Is it about Ikusaba?"

"What? How do you know that?!" Aoi almost expects to hear 'I'm psychic' in response, before she remembers she's talking to Sakura instead of Sayaka right now.

"Your hostility towards her was obvious." Sakura answers.

"I guess it was." Aoi admits. "It's just... she's been ignoring Sayaka-chan the entire day! Ignored a written note and eye contact and everything! It's making her all depressed, but she said that Ikusaba-chan just needs some space. I don't wanna let Ikusaba-chan get away with acting like a jerk, but I should probably listen to Sayaka-chan, shouldn't I?"

"Hm." Sakura lowers her head, thinking about the question. Aoi loves that about her friend -- Sakura always takes care to think stuff through when she gets asked about something. And she always gives a good answer too! "It is as you say," she begins. "Since Ikusaba is Maizono's friend, you should listen to her about it. I cannot say why Ikusaba is acting the way she is, but she may have a good reason for it." She holds up her hand when Aoi opens her mouth, cutting off the angry retort that's already on the swimmer's lips. "I am not saying she does for sure. She may have a bad reason as well. Neither of us knows any details, do we?"

"I guess not," Aoi mutters reluctantly. "But I don't wanna let Ikusaba-chan get away with this! She should know that Sayaka-chan's feeling bad!"

"Asahina," Sakura says, narrowing her eyes. "I think you are focusing too much on Ikusaba instead of Maizono."

"Whaddaya mean by that?!" Aoi asks, unable to stop her voice from sounding heated. "This is about Sayaka-chan's feelings! Ikusaba-chan is the one at fault, that's why I'm focusing on her!"

"I think you might be focusing on the wrong person." Sakura counters. She crosses her arms. "I know your heart is in the right place, but you are so angry at Ikusaba that you are ignoring Maizono's feelings. Should you not try to make Maizono feel better instead of going after Ikusaba?"

"But Sayaka-chan's only gonna feel better if Ikusaba talks to her again!" Aoi argues. "I made them sit together during lunch break. Sayaka-chan was a bit upset, but I think it's gonna work!"

Sakura sighs. "Even if it does, it was rude of you to ignore Maizono's wishes just because you thought you knew better. It is Maizono who is Ikusaba's friend, is she not? Then you should listen to her."

"I just wanted to help..."

"And maybe you did," Sakura concedes. "But that does not mean you did the right thing. Do you not think you should listen to your friends when you want to help them? I would not appreciate if you thought you knew better than me when it comes to a personal issue of mine."

The words are almost angry -- very unusual from her usually gentle friend. Aoi stares at the floor, feeling ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," she mutters. "I didn't mean to ignore Sayaka-chan's feelings, I just thought I was helping..."

"I apologize, Asahina." When Aoi looks up, it almost looks like Sakura's cheeks are tinged with a faint pink. "I may have sounded too harsh just now. I know you always mean well. I merely wanted to make sure you think an issue like this through more carefully next time."

"You don't gotta apologize, Sakura-chan!" Aoi is quick to assure her friend. "I really needed to hear that! I gotta say sorry to Sayaka-chan after classes are over..."

Sakura nods. "That sounds like a good idea. Let us hope your plan worked though. Even if it makes my advice just now appear less effective."

Aoi waves her hand dismissively. "Nah, you were totally right even if it works! It's like... if you threw a rock in some random guy's face and he's a serial killer or something then that'd be good, right? But that doesn't mean throwing rocks in some random guy's face is a good thing just 'cuz you could hit a serial killer! Know what I mean?"

"That is... certainly one way to look at it." Sakura answers, her brows raised.

"I almost sounded, like, wise!" Aoi says, nodding her head with vigor. "Anyways! Thanks for hearing me out, Sakura-chan! Sorry for interrupting your reading!"

"Thank you for hearing me out in return, Asahina." Sakura answers, politely as always. "But since you are here already, do you perhaps want to chat some more?" She asks the question almost shyly, which is totally ridiculous. Who wouldn't wanna talk to Sakura? She's super smart and super eloquent on top of that!

That's actually why Aoi doesn't chat her up as often as she'd like. Sakura is an amazing girl, but Aoi often feels she's too dumb to talk to her. It's kinda irrational too, since they do talk fairly often already and she always gets most of what her friend says. Still, even though she's a bit intimidated, she'd never say no if Sakura asked her directly. "Sure!" She agrees enthusiastically. "Hey, did you see that tennis match on TV yesterday? Hoshi Ryoma's opponent didn't even get a single point!"

Sakura nods. "I usually do not care for ball games, but it is interesting to watch a former Ultimate Student play."

"Makes you think how we all still got ways to go, yeah!" Aoi agrees. "I'm definitely gonna get better though! I'm gonna be the best swimmer in the world, and you're gonna be the best fighter in the world!"

"Hopefully, the world is ready for Asahina Aoi then." Sakura remarks.

Aoi gasps. "Was that a joke, Sakura-chan?!"

"Perhaps."

"Your jokes are almost as bad as Sayaka-chan's!" Aoi exclaims, but can't stop herself from grinning.

Sometime during their chat, Sayaka enters the room. She looks a bit happier than she did earlier, which Aoi is glad for. Looks like her plan worked after all! Sakura was right either way though, she knows that now.

She's gonna try to be more considerate in the future... and if she doesn't manage, she hopes someone will point it out to her!

 

-

 

Waiting in front of Sayaka's dorm room, Aoi feels nervous.

It hasn't been long since Sayaka and Ikusaba left, but Aoi can't help being worried. What if Ikusaba says mean stuff to her friend? What if Sayaka comes back crying?

She almost wanted to ask if she could come along when Sayaka said Ikusaba and her were gonna talk things over after class, but Sakura's words from before made her stop. She really shouldn't butt it on a private conversation like that! It's totally inconsiderate.

Time passes with an almost painful slowness. Aoi hopes it's not weird to wait in front of the door like this -- she just wants to make sure Sayaka is alright.

When Sayaka finally comes around the corner, she looks... very tired. "Aoi-chan?" She asks, somewhat surprised to see her. "Did you wait for me? I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry!" Aoi gives her a concerned look. "Are you okay, Sayaka-chan? You look like crap, kinda."

Sayaka giggles, but it sounds uncharacteristically weak. "Tactful as always, Aoi-chan." She says wryly.

Aoi feels her face flush. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that!"

"I know, I know. It's okay." Sayaka puts her hand on the door handle, giving Aoi a small smile. "Do you wanna come in?"

"If you don't mind!" Aoi replies. It's probably a better idea to talk about this in a more private place anyway.

Sayaka's room is always nice to be in, even if it's a bit too pink for Aoi's liking. There's nothing wrong with it -- blue is the best color though -- but there's just so much of it. And why does Sayaka have two couches anyway?

After they're sitting down, Sayaka offers her something to drink like always. Aoi looks at the can of juice Sayaka is holding out for her warily. "It's not anything weird, is it?" She asks.

"It's just apple!" Sayaka claims.

"How do I know you're telling the truth!"

"'Cause it says so on the can!"

"Oh. Right!" Aoi cracks open the can of juice and drinks, glad it actually is apple. "That's so refreshing after you've made me drink that weird watermelon stuff the other day."

"You're such a wimp!" Sayaka giggles. "I bet Mukuro-san is gonna hate it too. I can't wait!" As soon as she says that, her face falls and she obviously forces herself to keep the smile going.

"Did something happen, Sayaka-chan?" Aoi asks. "Ikusaba-chan wasn't mean to you or anything, was she?"

"No, no, not at all." Sayaka denies. "It's just... I'm worried about her."

"What about?"

Sayaka opens her mouth, but then closes it again. "I'm not sure I should talk to anyone about that. Mukuro-san didn't say I wasn't allowed to, but... I don't know." She hesitates. "Did you notice those red marks on her face? Near the forehead?"

"No." Aoi frowns. "Do you think she got hurt?"

"I think..." Sayaka begins, but trails off. "Nevermind, that's too private. I said way too much already."

"It's okay, Sayaka-chan! You're just worried about Ikusaba-chan, right? She'd probably understand!" Aoi assures her. She has no idea how Ikusaba would feel about this, but Sayaka is acting weird, so it'd be better if her friend wasn't beating herself up over stuff like that right now.

"I'm worried, but that doesn't mean I should violate her privacy." Sayaka sighs. "I really wanna send her a text right now and ask if she's okay, but I don't wanna annoy her either. She said she wanted to be alone for a while, but maybe a text couldn't hurt..."

She's more talking to herself than talking to Aoi, but the swimmer still feels like she has to share her thoughts. "I talked to Sakura-chan today," she says. "And uh, she said that it's bad to ignore what your friend wants just 'cuz you think you know better." She pauses, fidgeting uncomfortably, before muttering her apology. "Sorry for earlier, Sayaka-chan. I was so wrapped up in being angry at Ikusaba-chan that I didn't think about you enough."

Sayaka smiles, brighter than before. "It's okay, Aoi-chan. It actually worked! I'm not sure Mukuro-san would've talked to me if it hadn't been for you."

"Even if it worked, I still shouldn't have done that! I shouldn't have ignored your wishes and done my own thing, ya know? That was selfish of me..."

"We're all selfish from time to time, I guess. You were only worried about me, right?"

"'Course I was! We're friends!" Aoi exclaims.

Sayaka giggles. "Then it's okay. I forgive you."

"Thanks!" Aoi grins, before remembering this wasn't supposed to be just about her apology. "Hey, uh... so like, if Ikusaba-chan told you she needs some alone time you probably shouldn't push her, ya know? I think that's what I learned from Sakura-chan."

"You're probably right." Sayaka admits. "I really hope Mukuro-san writes to me soon though."

"Me too!" Aoi frowns, a thought entering her mind. She wonders if it's a good idea. "Hey Sayaka-chan, do you mind if I eat lunch with you and Ikusaba-chan next time?"

"Why? I mean, I don't mind, but... you aren't really a big fan of her right now."

"If she's your friend, I wanna get along with her too!" Aoi retorts, though the words feel oddly embarrassing to say. "But like, I'm not sorry about what I did. I mean, I'm sorry that I was ignoring your wishes, but I'm not sorry I was pushing Ikusaba-chan! She shouldn't get away with this kinda thing!"

"Aoi-chan... you don't know about Mukuro-san's reason." Sayaka says, looking at her disapprovingly.

"I don't care!" Aoi retorts. "Even if she has a good reason for it, she should tell you like... that she needs to sort out her thoughts or something! Ignoring you is just mean!"

Sayaka sighs. "I know where you're coming from, Aoi-chan... but Mukuro-san really did have a good reason. Can you please not be too harsh on Monday?"

"I can do that!" Aoi agrees, though the two of them would probably disagree on what's 'too harsh'. "I'm sorry if I'm doing the inconsiderate thing again, Sayaka-chan. It's just that I don't like when my friends are sad, ya know? Maybe I go a little overboard 'cuz of that..."

"You're a great friend, Aoi-chan." Sayaka says, her face unusually serious. "And I'm really glad you care so much. I'm lucky to have you."

"Geez..." Aoi feels her face flush in embarrassment. "You're a great friend too, Sayaka-chan!"

"You're really cute when you blush!"

"Are you hitting on me again?

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"You wish!"

They both laugh, and afterwards they chat about more light-hearted things. Aoi is glad for it. She'll always help a friend out and talk about serious things, but she much prefers none of her friends being upset in the first place.

By the time Aoi leaves the room, she thinks Sayaka's mostly stopped worrying. Ikusaba even sent her a message at some point, further improving her friend's mood.

Aoi didn't want to leave Sayaka in a bad mood, so she's pretty happy with herself while walking out of the dorms. She briefly considers working out with Sakura today, but she feels like swimming right now.

Maybe Ikusaba and her can race again? And this time she wouldn't even be angry at the other girl! Ikusaba _is_ a pretty good swimmer after all.

Well, she shouldn't get ahead of herself. They're not even friends! Not yet anyway. Ikusaba looks like the quiet type, so maybe Sayaka is more than enough for her. A super high-energy girl like Aoi might be too much for her to handle!

Either way, Aoi is gonna at least try to get along with Ikusaba. She can't be nice to her right away, she needs to make sure Ikusaba knows that she was being mean, but afterwards... she's gonna try the whole considerate thing too. Something tells her she's gonna have to work on that a lot though.

And anyway... that's all _if_ they become friends in the first place. Which they might not. She'd rather become friends though. Not because she really wants to be Ikusaba's friend or anything, but because of Sayaka.

It's better if Sayaka's friends are friends too, probably. It makes sense to Aoi at least. She wouldn't wanna make her friend sad. And from the way Sayaka's always talking about Ikusaba, maybe the girl is actually pretty nice once you get to know her. She doesn't look like it, but still...

Well, she shouldn't judge a book by its cover. If she'd done the same with Sakura, the two of them might have never become friends. That's a pretty horrible thought!

Aoi nods to herself. It's decided! She'll be hard on Ikusaba at first, but after that she'll try to be her friend!

You can never have too many friends! That's something Aoi firmly believes.

Maybe that's a stereotype too? That super high-energy and super gloomy girls can't get along? Aoi can totally break that stereotype with Ikusaba!

"Alright!" Aoi says to herself right after entering the girls' locker room, punching her palm with her fist. "Look forward to getting overwhelmed by my energy, Ikusaba-chan! I'm not gonna show any mercy!"

She's gonna hit Ikusaba like a tsunami!

A friendship tsunami!

* * *

 


End file.
